Pneumatic cushion, mattress, and the like



Oct. 7, 1930.

R. W. SAMPSON PNEUMATIC CUSHION, MATTRESS, AND THE LIKE Filed July 13, 1927 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 7, 1930. R. w. SAMPSON PNEUMATIC CUSHION, MATTRESS, AND THE LIKE Filed July 15, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 O O) lo 0 16 ZZ :0 o

[rave/77,5017

Oct. 7, 1930. R. w. SAMPSON 1,777,477

PNEUMATIC CUSHION, MATTRESS, AND THE LIKE Filed July 15, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Big. '7

"mun/5 fnveizoz: M d 4 Patented Oct. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES ROBERT W. SAMPSON,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC CUSHION, MATTRESS, AND THE LIKE Application filed July 13,

My invention relates to pneumatic cushions and like articles which are intended to be sat upon or lain upon or otherwise used to support a human body, for instance, as cushions in conveyances such as automobiles, or mattresses for sleeping cars, and for use under other conditions where it is important to utilize a flexible carrying surface supported by confined air.

To avoid unnecessary repetition, in describing my improved article, I will speak of it hereafter as a. cushion, including in that term mattresses or similar modifications or extensions of the cushion idea.

Objects of my invention are to so construct the cushion that in use it will retain its general shape, but will yield locally to accommodate itself to the person of the user; to avoid objectionable rolling movement, when the load is shifted; to counterbalance resistances in the cushion whereby the carrying surface may yield more readily lengthwise than laterally, while the reverse side will yield less readily lengthwise and more readily laterally, so that the yielding tendencies of .the opposite surfaces of the cushion will offset each other so far as the general configuration of the cushion is concerned; to form such a cushion with transverse, hollow, elevated, integral, undulating rib-like elements on its upper surface, opposed by approximately straight, longitudinally disposed base elements of the cushion, so that the upper surfaces of the cushion can yield, as by stretching out the elevated ribs, with out spreading the cushion substantially lengthwise against the resistance of the straight opposed elements; and to support the various elements of the cushion, prefera bly, by more or less solid, but flexible, weblike portions so as to preserve its forms and to produce a carrying surface which will have suflicient continuity to prevent the upholstery or coverings from passing through it locally.

These and other advantages of my invention will be pointed out and explained more fully hereafter.

In the drawings Fig. -1 is a perspective view of a cushion embodying my improve- 1927. Serial No. 205,436.

ments; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cushion reversed; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the lines 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 4; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the lines 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of part of the cushion, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking to the right; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the supporting frame; and Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, on a slightly reduced scale, taken on the line 7 7 on Fig. 4, looking down. The'figures show the cushion as inflated.

Similar letters of reference designate similar parts in all the figures.

The cushion 1 is of a modified bag-like character adapted to confine a body of air which inflates or fills it. In the type shown it has three elongated and approximately elongated elements 2, 3, 4, which are disposed lengthwise of the cushion and constitute main air chambers. The ends of these elements are connected by chambered edgings 5, 5, openings in which form air channels intercommunicating freely through the ends of. the elongated elements. They upper sides 6 of the edgings 5 are raised above the general line of the upper surface of the elongated elements 2, 3, 4, and are preferably brought down to those surfaces by inclined slopes 7, 7. Between these edgings 5 are disposed several tube elements, as 8, 9, 10, and 11, forming air channels or ducts which intercommunicate freely with the elongated elements 2, 3, 4, and extend between them so that the confined air may have free passage through these tubes from one to the other of the elongated elements 2, 3, 4. Where these tube-like elements merge with the elongated elements 2, 3, 4, they are raised above the general surface of the latter, their sides being sloped down to merge with the elongated elements. Between these elongated elements the tubes retain this same general formation, their under sides, however, being simply curved or extended downward somewhat so as to enlarge the capacity of the tubes.

The space between the elongated elements and the tubes is preferably taken up by more or less complete webs at 12, 12, 12, which are shown in the drawings as being solid, al-

though I desire it to be understood that openings might be formed through these webs, if desired, for the purpose of ventilation. An air valve 15 is placed at a suitable point to permit the attachment of means for inflating the cushion.

A supporting frame 16 is preferably provided for the cushion which may have an intermediate bearing element or elements 17, and frame elements 18, 19, 20, 21, so that the ends of the elongated elements of the cushion may be supported, as also the bottoms of the exterior ones of those elements medially, while the intermediate elongated element may be supported by some direct medial support. It should be understood that the character of this supporting frame may be varied as the particular requirements of use of the cushion make it desirable, so long as sufficient support is afforded to preserve the general contour of the cushion during use.

The whole cushion is, preferably, integral, with the exception of the valve; and in prac tice .I have found it satisfactory to make the cushion entirely of a compound which em- Eodies the elasticity and flexibility of rub- It is not intended to have the cushion stretch, materially, as a whole. Rather it is intended that the cushion shall retain its general shape and that there should be little change or distortion of its under side during use. The substantially straight, elongated elements and the substantially straight edgings, disposed transversely of the elongated elements, withthe connecting web elements, serve to quite effectually preserve the general more or less rectangular shape of the cushion. But, due to the formation above described, the top surface of the cushion has a waved or wrinkled contour due to the presence of the raised tops 6 of the edgings 5 and of the tube elements 8, 9, 10, and 11. In consequence of this, if pressure is placed upon the upper surface of any of these tube elements, that portion of the cushion may be pushed down, so as to yield locally, without thereby materially stretching the rubber surface as a whole through the elasticity of the rubber, or drawing in the edges ofthe cushion material. In other words, there is a surplus of surface material in the upper side of the cushion, as compared with the lower, which permits of that surface being moved to and fro through the spreading out of the surplus material, i. e., undulations or wrinkle-like elements, without a corresponding stretching or change of position of the transversely disposed elongated elements. Hence the cushion will yield readily at various points to accommodate itself to the person of the user, and without substantial alteration in its general marginal shape.

Under conditions such as exist in the use of cushions in automobiles, it is desirable to avoid any serious forward and backward rolling movement of the cushion; and in the construction which I have illustrated, this result is secured. For the cushion will retain its general shape, with little change, the modification of its surface under the changed positions of the load being taken up locally without very much shifting of the volume of confined air. The tendency of the capacity of the cushion for yielding more readily in one direction than the other may be assisted, if desired, by utilizing the capacity of calendered rubber to stretch more readily laterally than lengthwise of the calendering movement. Rubber may be so calendered as to make this difference quite marked. So that if the rubber of the upper surface has been rolled in the direction of the tubes 8, 9, 10, and 11, it will stretch more readily crosswise of the tubes, while if the rubber on the under side of the cushion has been rolled in the direction of the axes of the elongated elements 2, 3, 4, it will stretch less readily in the direction of those axes, and more readily transversely thereto. The utilization of this capacity of c-alendered rubber increases the capacities of the cushion to function in the way heretofore described and for the securing of the advantages intended.

I wish it to be understood that the form of cushion illustrated and described above is to be considered as a typical embodiment and not as an exclusive form of my invention. For it is obvious that modifications might be introduced by the use of mechanical equivalents without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the claims.

In the claims I have used the word undulations in the general sense of deviations from a plane, and I have used the words longitudinally .and laterally when applied to the opposed faces of the cushion as indicating relatively transverse disposition, rather than the lengthwise or crosswise placing of the cushion in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: p

1. An integral, pneumatic air cushion made in a single piece with a continuous outer surface and embodying a plurality of main air chambers and intercommunicating air channels connecting the same, the carrying face of the cushion being wrinkled most markedly longitudinally, while the under surface is wrinkled most markedly transversely, and the faces being joined by a marginal web element whereby the carrying face of the cushion is adapted to spread lengthwise more readily than the opposed face.

2. An integral,pneumatic air cushion made in a single piece with a continuous outer surface and embodying a plurality of main air chambers and intercommunicating air channels connecting the same the under face of the cushion being disposed in comparatively straight transverse lines, and the carrying face of the cushion being disposed in irregular transverse lines whereby it is adapted to spread lengthwise more readily than the opposed face, and the faces being joined by a marginal web.

3. An integral, pneumatic air cushion embodying a/plurality of main, elongated air chambers, and intercommunicating air channels connecting the same, the under surfaces of the main elongated air chambers being comparatively straight, longitudinally, while the upper surfaces of such air chambers are undulated longitudinally, whereby the carrying face of the cushion is ermitted to spread lengthwise, by the flattening out of the undulfations, more readily than the opposed surace.

4. An integral, pneumatic air cushion made in a single piece with a continuous outer surface and embodying a plurality of main, elongated air chambers, and intercommunicating air channels connecting the u per portions of the same, the under surface 0? the cushion being comparatively straight longitudinally and undulated transversely, while the upper surface of the cushion is undulated longitudinally, and also transversely but to a substantially less degree than the under surface the upper and lower surfaces being joined by a marginal web whereby the under face may spread most readily transversely, and the upper surface may spread most readily longitudinally.

5. An integral, pneumatic air cushion embodying a plurality of main air chambers and intercommunicating air channels connecting the same, the material of the upper and of the lower sides of the cushion being disposed in irregular surface lines in one direction and in less irregular surface lines in the relatively transverse direction, whereby each side shall have the capacity of stretching more readily in one direction than in a relatively trans- ,versedirection, and the sides being so disposed that the lines g f greatest stretchability of one side lie transverse of the similar lines of the other surface, the sides being joined by a marginal web, whereby the greater stretchability of one side is opposed by the lesser stretchabih'ty of the other side.

6. An integral pneumatic air cushion embodying a plurality'of elongated air chambers having sides and bottoms approximately straight longitudinally and up er surfaces undulated longitudinally thereo and transversely disposed air ducts connecting the chambers.

. 7. An integral, pneumatic air cushion embodying aplurality of elongated air chambers havin sides and bottoms approximately straighfiongitudinally and u per surfaces undulated longitudinally thereo and transversely disposed longitudinall undulating air ducts connecting the cham rs.

8. An integral, pneumatic air cushion embodying a plurality of elongated air chambers having sides and bottoms approximately straight longitudinally and upper surfaces undulated longitudinally thereof, and transversely disposed longitudinally undulating air ducts having flattened tops and outward- 1y sloping sides connecting the chambers.

9. An integral, pneumatic air cushion embodying a plurality of elongated air chambers having sides and bottoms approximately straight longitudinally and upper surfaces undulated longitudinally thereof, and transversely dis osed air ducts forming part of the upper sur ace but lying free of the base sur- Ifaces of the cushion and connecting the chamers.

10. A integral pneumatic air cushion comprising a plurality of substantially parallel air chambers and intercommunicating substantially parallel air chambers connecting the first mentioned air chambers and disposed in a plane spaced from the plane of the first mentioned air chambers.

11. An integral pneumatic air cushion comprising a series of spaced tubular chambers connected by another series of spaced tubular chambers extending at an angle thereto and raised thereabove.

12. An integral pneumatic air cushion comprising a series of tubular air chambers disposed side by side and connected by another series of air chambers with the axes thereof offset from the axes of the first mentioned air chambers.

13. An integral pneumatic air cushion comprising a plurality of longitudinally elongated air chambers connected by a plurahty of transversely elongated air chambers of longitudinally elongated air chambers protru ROBERT W. SAMPSON. 

